‘Queer Eye’ star France bridges divides on TV, in real life

In this March 15, 2019, photo, Tan France, a cast member on the Netflix series "Queer Eye," poses among his clothes in the attic of his home in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The Netflix show “Queer Eye” caught on by doing something unusual: creating reality TV that touches on some of the country’s deepest divides with persistent optimism.

Alongside sleek new haircuts and rehabbed wardrobes, the makeover program starring five gay men tackles the contrast between urban and rural, white and black, liberal and conservative.

The show’s resident fashion expert, Tan France, switches between those worlds off-camera too. He’s an English immigrant who was raised Muslim and spends his off hours at home with his husband in decidedly red-state Utah.

In this March 15, 2019, photo, Tan France, a cast member on the Netflix series “Queer Eye,” looks out of the window in the attic of his home in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

He says living in Salt Lake City gives him a perspective that comes in handy for a show featuring a cross-section of America, and has no plans to move even as the show takes off.

In this March 15, 2019, photo, Tan France, a cast member on the Netflix series “Queer Eye,” looks at his clothes in the attic of his home in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)In this March 15, 2019, photo, Tan France, a cast member on the Netflix series “Queer Eye,” speaks during an interview at his home in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)